Cristian Mungiu Named President Of Cannes Cinéfondation & Short Film Jury; Warner Pacts With iQiyi – Global Briefs

The Cannes Film Festival has set Romanian director Cristian Mungiu as President of the Cinéfondation and Short Film Jury. The helmer of Palme d’Or-winning 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days as well as last year’s Baccalauréat, for which he won Best Director, previously sat on Steven Spielberg’s main festival jury in 2013. Mungiu said today, “Value and originality have never achieved easy recognition in the cinema. And it’s even harder to recognize the value and originality of very young directors. But the Cinéfondation is known for having succeeded in doing just that to great effect. The Cinéfondation has always given young directors the help and recognition they needed at the very outset of their career, so that they could express themselves with courage and find their own voice. Long may that continue to achieve the same impact. It’s an endeavor in which I’m proud to be playing a part.” The Cannes Film Festival runs from May 17-28.

As it continues to grow its online partnerships, Chinese streaming platform iQIYI has pacted with Warner Bros for 200 titles from its library. This includes the Harry Potter, Rush Hour and Lord Of The Rings franchises among many others. IQIYI also has a long-term output deal with Lionsgate, as well as arrangements with Fox, NBCU, the BFI and others.

China’s Alibaba Group has acquired the 68% of online ticketing platform Damai.cn which it did not already own, Shanghai Daily reported today. The move is part of the e-commerce giant’s strategy to grow its entertainment businesses. No financial details were revealed. Yu Yongfu, chairman and chief executive officer of Alibaba Pictures Group and head of Alibaba’s digital entertainment division, said the acquisition adds to the company’s existing online services including online video and music streaming and would provide wider customer reach. Damai is a leading player in the concerts and sports event ticketing sector. Alibaba previously acquired 32% of the company in 2014.